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Native Americans throng to Louisville women's basketball game to cheer on Schimmel sisters

Shoni and Jude Schimmel are rock stars in the Native American community. People follow them across the country.

If you doubt the drawing power of the University of Louisville's basketball-playing sisters, consider the persistence of Debbie Ridge and Meske Wind. They were among 60 members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who were scheduled to make a 700-mile bus trip to the KFC Yum! Center to see No. 3 U of L play top-ranked Connecticut on Monday for Native American Appreciation Night.

When the bus driver refused to go because of sleet, snow and freezing rain, the women — and 25 others — took control. They left from Okmulgee, Okla. — located near Tulsa — at 7 p.m. CST Sunday and arrived in Louisville at 10 a.m. EST. They only stopped for gas during the snowy, often one-lane 14-hour journey. They've seen the Schimmels and U of L four times this season but this was by far the longest and most difficult trip.

Nothing was going to stop Ridge and Wind. "It's an honor to be here," Wind said before the game. "That's the neat thing; the show of support from the Native community for them."

This was a pretty big deal for the Native American community, which has followed the Schimmel sisters, who are Oregon natives and members of the Umatilla tribe.

Their popularity is due in part to the documentary titled "Off the Rez," which features Shoni Schimmel and her story of growing up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The sisters' following grew exponentially during U of L's 2013 NCAA tournament run to the national championship game. It included a stunning victory over Baylor in a game some consider the greatest upset in the history of the women's tournament.

More than 1,500 Native Americans from 40 states were scheduled to attend the game, which drew a record sellout of 22,163. While the winter storm might have affected the turnout, it didn't seem like it.

The lobby was packed with people from Oregon, Nebraska, Minnesota, Mississippi, Florida, North Dakota and other states. They carried such signs as "Rez Ballin'," "Rez Ball 4 Life," and one hopeful teenage male with one that said, "Will You Marry Me Jude?"

"It's neat to see Native Americans come together to see Native women like them strive," Ridge said. "It makes all the other young ladies and men want to do it. They've got the opportunity to be in the spotlight. Now everybody is on the bandwagon. It makes them want to play basketball. It makes them want to do good."

All of this is somewhat shocking to Shoni Schimmel. She came to U of L to simply play basketball but has become much more than a star point guard. She has become a symbol. The senior who played her final regular-season game Monday night heard that Native Americans were coming from as far away as Alaska.

"It's unbelievable because they can watch it on TV," Schimmel said before the game. "It's crazy that they're coming out to support us. They're coming to the University of Louisville just to watch us play basketball."

After the game, she added: "It's great for them to travel across the country to watch a game that's on TV. It's very special because they are Native American. They're coming out to watch us. For them to do that is pretty cool."

Jason Kingbird, a teacher at an all-Native American boarding school in Wahpeton, N.D., drove two days with his family. When U of L is on television all the students huddle around sets to watch the Schimmels. While the Cards lost to UConn 68-48, the sisters' success has made them role models in the Native American community, Kingbird said.

"They're doing big things," he said. "Watching the Schimmels, you see that you work hard for what you get. Nothing comes free. No one is going to hand it out to you."

Asa Deane, 14, of Three Affiliated Tribes in North Dakota, called the sisters her "idols."

"They've proved to a lot of girls that they can make it far," she said.

Jonah Dickens, 14, of White Shield, N.D., hoped for an autograph — maybe a little more. He has a crush on Jude and sees the sisters as inspirational.